Chemical Probes Portal

Chemical Probes Portal supports the assessment, selection and use of small-molecule compounds that qualify as chemical probes for exploring protein function in complex biological systems and validating proteins as potential therapeutic targets.

Key Features:

• Expert-reviewed chemical probe database: The Portal provides expert-reviewed information on chemical probes and their human protein targets to ensure quality and robustness in biomedical research.
• Probe assessment and selection support: The Portal offers guidelines and tools to help researchers identify high-quality chemical probes and avoid low-quality compounds that lead to erroneous conclusions.
• Expanded content coverage: The number of chemical probes and human protein targets covered has increased significantly with improved processes for obtaining expert reviews.

Scientific Applications:

• Protein function exploration: Chemical probes enable exploration of the function of individual proteins in complex biological systems such as cells and organisms.
• Therapeutic target validation: High-quality chemical probes support validation of proteins as potential therapeutic targets in drug discovery.
• Protein annotation acceleration: Reliable chemical probes accelerate protein annotation in basic biological studies.
• Drug discovery informatics: The use of quality chemical probes informs and supports drug discovery programs.

Methodology:

The Portal employs expert-review processes to assess and curate small-molecule compounds as chemical probes, with ongoing improvements to processes for obtaining expert reviews and user engagement.